The GCB German Convention Bureau e.V., the marketing organisation for Germany as a meetings destination has posted a surge of new members: 47 providers of meeting and event services in Germany have joined the GCB since January 2007.

More variety for conventions and events

The range of venues for conventions and large events has also increased with new additions such as CCN Congress Centre Nuremberg, Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Liederhalle Culture and Congress Center, the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, and the M.O.C. in Munich. Rhein-Sieg-Halle in Siegburg and Hamburg-based Nord Event GmbH, which features venues in the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt), on board sailing ships and windjammers, add to the space offerings.

Other new GCB members include the event agencies C.E.S. Congress & Event GmbH from Berlin, ITC International Travel Concept GmbH from Frankfurt/Main, tauleo events & incentives GmbH from Munich and Pro Toura GmbH & Co. KG from Bremen.

Chain membership a popular option with 36 new hotels

Introduced in 2006, the hotel chain membership option has met with a good response in the industry, as 36 new hotel members go to show: Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH has registered eight hotels as new GCB members, Rezidor Hotels Management GmbH six, Accor Dorint SMARD GmbH 17. Rocco Forte has also joined the GCB with three hotels in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin.

GCB managing director Lutz P. Vogt: "We are very happy that leading hotel chains have upgraded the GCB's portfolio with further hotels. We can now offer our customers a broad and high-quality range of offerings for meetings and conventions. This success confirms our new strategy".

Additionally, the Mövenpick Hotel in Frankfurt City and the Grand Hotel Esplanade Berlin have been new members of the GCB's hotel chapter since 1 January 2007.

New offerings of Focus Members

The GCB offers its members special premium options. Regio Stuttgart Marketing- und Tourismus GmbH, the MCI group, KMK Karlsruhe and the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers decided to give more prominence to their new offerings for event planners in 2007 as "Focus Members".

Regio Stuttgart with established and new meeting venues, MCI with its second Germany branch in Stuttgart, the KMK with its redesigned exhibition centre and the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers with over 1,000 renovated rooms for meeting delegates in Europe's largest airport hotel.

With its decision to become a Focus Member of the GCB, Regio Stuttgart has reinforced its activities in the region around the southern German metropolis. It has launched many new options for events in and around Stuttgart.

This autumn, the new ICS - International Congress Centre Stuttgart, part of Stuttgart's new fair, will open its gates as one of Germany's largest and most modern event venues - in the heart of a major economic region in Europe.

The new district for conventions, major functions and special events has been completed around Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, NeckarPark Stuttgart with Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle and the connected Porsche Arena, VfB Business Center, SpOrt Stuttgart, Carl Benz Centre, Hilton Garden Inn, and the new Mercedes Benz Museum.

The Convention Bureau of Regio Stuttgart offers planners comprehensive support for organising and staging events in 270 event centres, meeting hotels and venues in Stuttgart and the region.

Karlsruhe saw the dawning of a new era in November 2003: Since then KMK Karlsruher Messe- and Kongress-GmbH has offered four light-filled halls with over 52,000 square metres of exhibition space, a presentation hall with 1,800 square metres, and 10,000 square metres of open-air space at its redesigned fair centre just outside the city.

KMK also offers a convention centre featuring 13 seminar and conference rooms with flexible layout options for approx. 1,500 people. The heart of the fair centre is the dm-arena with capacities for 14,000 people for concerts, sports and big events.

In addition to the modern fair centre, KMK's portfolio includes the traditional congress centre in the heart of the city as well as Europahalle sports and concert arena and Festplatz Karlsruhe as further venues.

Since building the new fair centre, KMK has successfully started new theme fairs and lured events backed to Karlsruhe.

MCI is a leading global group of companies for event, communication and association management. Its customers - associations, organisations and businesses - receive support for implementing efficient processes and unifying brand, product and services.

In Germany MCI has offices in Berlin and Stuttgart and teams local know-how with international expertise. The clients of the group benefit from a state-of-the-art technical infrastructure, efficient processes and transparent methods, financial strength and long-term stability, as well as MCI's world-wide strategic alliances and networks.

Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers is a gem in GCB's portfolio as an elegant first-class hotel with future-forward technical facilities and an excellent service.

With direct access to Frankfurt Airport and the ICE railway station, unlimited parking spaces and proximity to Frankfurt city centre, the hotel is ideal for all kinds of events - be it major functions for 1,200 people or intimate meetings in one of 56 banqueting rooms.